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Old 05-19-2022, 05:03 PM   #1
Scuba Fever
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Not this AGAIN?

I was just informed that next Thursday evening the Department of Fish and Wildlife is having another meeting to make recommendations about the Spiny Lobster program. Hope everyone participates online so they don't make any decisions without our feedback.

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Old 05-20-2022, 10:22 AM   #2
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

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Old 05-20-2022, 06:10 PM   #3
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

Well this is more encouraging that I anticipated. Thank you for the info. Cheers, Kadman
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Old 05-26-2022, 12:45 PM   #4
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

Not looking too bad. Nevertheless, it is always a concern when they go back to "review" a fishery...
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Old 05-26-2022, 02:43 PM   #5
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

The meeting is actually TONIGHT (THURSDAY) at 530

I've always thought it was crazy to lump recreational Lobster activities with COMMERCIAL LOBSTER FISHERIES in decision making.
Can you imagine that they would do that with Pop Warner/ Highschool/College football and Professional NFL football??
And yet the California Fish and Wildlife thinks its a good idea.
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Old 05-26-2022, 11:36 PM   #6
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

I attended and participated in the online DFW lobster hearing tonight. Just like in 2017, I represented recreational SCUBA and Freedivers in what I thought benefited us in the long run. Except for one area covered, mostly hoopnetting, I had no issues. I strongly disagreed in the proposal of changing the starting time to 6pm on the Friday BEFORE the usual Saturday morning opening time. It sounded like it mostly benefited the Game Wardens and hoopnetters. The presenters let people type in comments, but they only read out loud SELECTED comments that had little or no controversy. (Like most of mine). I stated, that after 50 years of Lobster openings, the nighttime openings ALWAYS resulted IN MULTIPLE diver deaths; from drownings, boat collisions, etc!! Interestingly, they didn't read this comment out loud!! The hoopnetters dont like having to wait ALL DAY to go out and set their nets.
Please share your comment on the DFW website. Next hearing is July
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Old 05-27-2022, 11:00 AM   #7
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

I got the invite but couldnt attend - what all was discussed?
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Old 05-27-2022, 01:49 PM   #8
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

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I got the invite but couldnt attend - what all was discussed?

Take a look at the second posting on this thread for the itinerary.
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Old 05-28-2022, 02:26 PM   #9
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

I don't know what others are seeing, but, from my perspective, each year there seem to be an increasing number of barely legals and fewer larger sizes....The Alaska halibut fishery has slot sizes and the big ones have to go back...Their fishery is holding well with mid size halibut in abundance...Perhaps, it is time for us to follow suit for the good of the fishery...
...There are hooping guys out there every night taking bugs. It isn't rocket science to guess they are being sold under the table. A yearly limit needs to be set and enforced....
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Old 05-29-2022, 11:17 AM   #10
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

Checked into it maybe a decade ago, correct me if I'm wrong. Commercial licenses typically sell with the vessel and the licenses are grandfathered in. One company had essentially cornered the entire commercial lobster quota.
Would be nice to get more people involved in commercial harvesting for a greater base of advocates. One possibility would be to auction off limited quota commercial licenses to small operators, with the proceeds being used to buy down the big operations, rather than going into the DFG slush funds.
It would be great to have a plethora of small mom and pop shops selling directly to the consumer at the local fish market or dock. This would also get the general public to interact directly with producers, helping to influence how they view the industry and their opinions on fisheries management.
'Sustainably harvested in your local waters' would be great for the industry.
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Old 05-29-2022, 06:41 PM   #11
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

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Originally Posted by Bob Ballew View Post
I don't know what others are seeing, but, from my perspective, each year there seem to be an increasing number of barely legals and fewer larger sizes....The Alaska halibut fishery has slot sizes and the big ones have to go back...Their fishery is holding well with mid size halibut in abundance...Perhaps, it is time for us to follow suit for the good of the fishery...
...There are hooping guys out there every night taking bugs. It isn't rocket science to guess they are being sold under the table. A yearly limit needs to be set and enforced....
As long as Commercial Lobsterman can presently harvest unlimited amounts of Bugs (with their 300 pot limit per license) almost all sold outside the USA, i will never support any changes to the Recreational Divers limits!!!. Long ago , we were allowed to take TEN Lobsters per Diver per day. Then, the Commercial catch dropped one year, so they Reduced the Recreation Divers catch limit down to SEVEN lobsters per diver per day!! Imagine how many Bugs there would be, if we had a Hiatus from Commercial Lobstering for ten years, kind of what they did with Abalone Commercial fishing?

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Old 05-30-2022, 02:20 AM   #12
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

...I can certainly sympathize with your position. All I am saying is what I am seeing occur when I go out for lobster each year. Most of my catch comes from the inside of Catalina island where no commercial boats are allowed. A few of the islanders hoop the inside and sell their catch but, commercial activity has little to nothing to do with the demise of the larger bugs where I dive. However, I see the same lack of decent size bugs on the coast when I go diving. The question is whether the population is on the verge of total collapse...
...If we wait and do nothing, we will probably end up with a situation like occurred with abalone. A full-on closure for everyone, for years and perhaps; forever....
...Likewise, sheepshead need protection also. Commercial trapping and sport fishing is wiping them out...Big sheepshead are few in number, even at the far offshore spots like Nic and Cortez Bank. We are at the point of too many people taking too few large animals.....Buying out the commercials and ending that market makes the most sense, if the lobster are to survive mankind's greed....Otherwise Alaska-style slot limits for all, makes the most sense to me...

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Old 06-07-2022, 12:06 AM   #13
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

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Originally Posted by Bob Ballew View Post
I don't know what others are seeing, but, from my perspective, each year there seem to be an increasing number of barely legals and fewer larger sizes....The Alaska halibut fishery has slot sizes and the big ones have to go back...Their fishery is holding well with mid size halibut in abundance...Perhaps, it is time for us to follow suit for the good of the fishery...
...There are hooping guys out there every night taking bugs. It isn't rocket science to guess they are being sold under the table. A yearly limit needs to be set and enforced....
It's by design, the study they did found the just short to barely legal population is the cornerstone of fishery. If they can maintain a good pop of those, the resource stays healthy. That's the theory anyway. Most of our bugs are still born down south and settle on our reefs after a year as planktonic larvae.

And I despise the idea of slot limits for anything. That is definitely NOT something the spearing community should advocate for under any circumstances. Just look at New Jersey regs to see how bad that can go. The next generation of divers should have their shot at a monster bug of a lifetime too.
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Old 06-07-2022, 04:43 PM   #14
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

...Son, this type of logic escapes me....Large bugs lay thousands of eggs more than barely legals or undersize immature lobster....also, when the majority of animals are small, it shows that possibly the resource is collapsing...allow the mid-size to large bugs to all be taken and it is only a matter of time before few, if any, legal size will exist. It is the law of diminishing returns....At some point, man has to step in and take action if the resource is to survive...
...Can't comment on New Jersey, but, I know well what happened to the CA abalone resource when authorities waited too long to take protective measures. There is no reason to think the lobster population will fare any better...just my take after 60 years in, and on, the ocean...
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Old 06-08-2022, 01:11 PM   #15
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Re: Not this AGAIN?

The problem for the bug fishery is the Commercials. No doubt about that. The only reason we divers get some decent bugs from shore is the restriction of commercials in the S.Monica Bay.
As soon as you exit the restricted area the population of legal bugs drops dramatically.
See attached photo: a popular beach in Malibu, and the commercial super boat with crew of four(!) collecting pots just behind the surf zone! No wonder we haven't seen a legal bug in that area in decades. But when the spiny lobster price is $100/lb in China, that's what we get...
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